Jun 19, 2014

Toddler Bug Hunt

This week we started our Bug theme, and it couldn't have come at a better time. We are outside in the yard everyday, and our yard is teeming with insects! I have never seen so many different kinds. K is so fascinated with bugs, and is constantly chasing and poking at them. On a recent Dollar Tree trip, I picked up an awesome "bug catcher". For $1, it came with the catcher itself (and attached magnifying glass), a set of tweezers, and a net.

Kingston donned his bug catching supplies, and we headed out into the yard to see what we could find!

Right away, we found multiple ants. K was really excited. I helped him to scoop the ant up with his net. This was trickier than it sounds, especially with a chintzy dollar store net that kept splitting in half! He used his fine motor skills for sure trying to pick up that wiggly ant with his net.

We managed to get him into the catcher, and K observed him moving around. We talked about his different body parts. Kingston thought it was hilarious that he was inside. He kept opening the door to peek inside at him. Eventually he snuck out, and we were on the hunt for more bugs!

I was pleasantly surprised with all the different insects we were able to spot on this one backyard trip. K was able to observe many spiders, a bumblebee, several butterflies, a moth, a baby cricket (which if anyone knows me, knows this was VERY VERY brave of me!), some flies, some mosquitoes, and several bugs I couldn't identify. We are still on the search for an inch worm to keep in our container and feed and observe.

Here he is watching the butterflies. We saw a butterfly with giant yellow wings and a spotted butterfly. They were really large and K was able to follow them for quite awhile!

When we went over to his climber, we noticed a giant spider perched on the outside. Upon further observation, we found many spiders that had made Kingston's climber their home. Kingston was fascinated with the giant spider and screamed excitedly as we examined it.

This is such a fun and simple way to introduce bugs in their natural habitats to your toddler. This opened up a great dialogue between Kingston and I about different types of bugs, where they live, their body parts, and much more. He was very inquisitive and excited to see what we could find. He also got to work on his fine motor skills and problem solving skills trying to get the bugs into his net. Sometimes the best activities do not require any set up at all!

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